Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures® Smile for Picture Day™ Partners with The Kids In Need Foundation® and Country Artist Jessie James Decker to Create Healthy Smiles this School Year

Annual campaign drives awareness to children's oral health and provides tools for academic success

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Sep 17, 2015, 10:31 ET

NEW YORK, Sept. 17, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- With back-to-school now well underway parents across the country can help their kids excel in the classroom by caring for their smiles. To better equip families and educators with the resources they need, Colgate has partnered with The Kids In Need Foundation and Country artist and mom Jessie James Decker as part of Smile for Picture Day™ - an annual campaign that uses the tradition of school picture day to promote healthy brushing routines.

"Picture day is an iconic tradition that marks a new year of learning and special milestones. When you're shopping for the perfect picture day apparel, make sure you add toothpaste and a new toothbrush to the list," said Dr. Marsha Butler, Vice President of Global Oral Health and Professional Relations, a dentist who oversees the Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures^® program. "By scheduling dental check-ups and promoting healthy habits at home, we can help children feel good about themselves and the school year ahead."

To kick-off this year's campaign, Colgate has donated 25,000 Colgate^® Kids'^® toothbrushes and toothpaste tubes along with $25,000 USD to The Kids In Need Foundation, a 501(3)(c) charitable organization that prepares children to learn and succeed by providing free school supplies to students most in need.

"It is hard to learn without the proper tools, and Colgate understands that not every student arrives at the first day of school with school supplies," said Dave Smith, Executive Director, The Kids In Need Foundation. "When kids have the proper school supplies, we see their confidence soar. We know that with these supplies, students' classroom behavior improves and grades go up, because kids feel they have a better chance of achieving in the classroom. We want to thank Colgate for helping more children start the school year right."

Several studies have demonstrated a connection between poor dental health and low grade point averages and in some cases, children with poor oral health are nearly three times more likely to miss days at school than their peers due to dental pain.¹ Each year, to help create healthy smiles, Colgate's award-winning oral health curriculum reaches nearly 9 out of every 10 kindergarten students and 3.5 million children in all 50 states. Additionally, throughout the Smile for Picture Day™ campaign, Colgate's fleet of mobile dental vans will travel to more than 150 elementary schools providing free dental screenings to children in need.

Consumers are encouraged to show their support for children's oral health and this year's campaign by sharing their camera ready smiles on Twitter and Instagram using #SmileforPictureDay.

"Taking the time to encourage healthy routines, like brushing twice a day, can be fun and easy, even for busy moms like me," said Jessie James Decker, who welcomed her second child earlier this month. "I'm excited to join Colgate's Smile for Picture Day™ campaign to help fellow parents care for their kids' smiles – for picture day and every day. Follow me on Twitter and Instagram to see how we're working on our Colgate smiles in our house!"

To access free learning materials, mobile apps, videos and more, please visit the Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures^® website at www.ColgateBSBF.com. Also be sure to follow Smile for Picture Day™ Ambassador, Jessie James Decker on social media(www.Twitter.com/JessieJDecker and www.Instagram.com/JessieJamesDecker) for exclusive smile tips for the whole family. And, to find out more about the great work The Kids In Need Foundation is doing nationally, visit www.kinf.org.

ABOUT COLGATE-PALMOLIVE
Colgate-Palmolive is a leading global consumer products company, tightly focused on Oral Care, Personal Care, Home Care and Pet Nutrition. Colgate-Palmolive sells its products in over 200 countries and territories around the world under such internationally recognized brand names as Colgate, Palmolive, Mennen, Softsoap, Irish Spring, Protex, Sorriso, Kolynos, Elmex, Tom's of Maine, Sanex, Ajax, Axion, Soupline, and Suavitel, as well as Hill's Science Diet and Hill's Prescription Diet. For more information about Colgate-Palmolive's global business, visit the Company's web site at www.Colgate.com. To learn more about Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures^®, Colgate's global oral health education program, please visit www.colgatebsbf.com. CL-C

ABOUT COLGATE BRIGHT SMILES, BRIGHT FUTURES^®
Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures^® is among the most far-reaching, successful children's oral health initiatives in the world. With long-standing partnerships with governments, schools and communities, Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures^® has reached more than half a billion children across 80 countries with free dental screenings and oral health education.

ABOUT THE KIDS IN NEED FOUNDATION
The Kids In Need Foundation's mission is to ensure that every child is prepared to learn and succeed in the classroom by providing free school supplies nationally to students most in need. The Kids In Need Foundation has distributed more than $700 million in school supplies since its founding, directly benefiting 4.2 million students and more than 120,000 teachers annually. Kids In Need is a national 501(c)(3) charitable organization founded in 1995. For more information, visit kinf.org, and join them at twitter.com/kidsinneed & facebook.com/kidsinneed.

REFERENCES

Jackson, Vann, Kotch, Pahel, Lee. Impact of Poor Oral Health on Children's School Attendance and Performance. Am J Public Health 2011; 101(10): 1900-1906. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3222359/)

Contact:
Colleen McCarthy
212-614-4085
[email protected]

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SOURCE Colgate-Palmolive